UNFICYP warns against hunting in the buffer zone

THE UNITED Nations Peacekeeping Force In Cyprus (UNFICYP) has appealed to all hunters to exercise extreme caution and safety during the current small game hunting season, which lasts from August 20 to October 22.

Hunters are being asked to remember that hunting in the buffer zone is both off limits and extremely dangerous.

There have been cases in the past, UNFICYP says, where hunters carrying loaded weapons have been a hazard to UNFICYP patrols and to themselves.

Hunters carrying guns and wearing camouflage clothing around the buffer zone can easily be mistaken for soldiers, with the firing of guns between the ceasefire lines creating confusion.

Any such irresponsible behaviour in these areas could draw fire from either side of the opposing forces, as soldiers on duty cannot immediately assess where the shots are coming from and may feel obliged to react.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.